You're Not Alone
by Chlollie
Summary: What if Callie wasn't able to escape Stef and Lena at the motel in the episode 'The Honeymoon'. Callie must deal with her inner demons, among other things that are about to head her way. Wyatt/Callie eventually; Callie-centric.
1. Prologue

TIMELINE: Up to 'The Honeymoon'

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. The characters belong to there rightful owners.

* * *

**-PROLOGUE-**

It was early morning and Callie was preparing to leave the motel room where she and Wyatt had stayed the night before. Wyatt had left to fill up the car with gas before they headed out but Callie had the uneasy feeling something was up. He'd already taken too long. She went to the window and looked out, hoping to see what was up and saw him talking to Stef and Lena. Oh Wyatt, she thought, sighing. Why did you have to do that? Now she would have to go off on her own, which was something she didn't want to do, but she couldn't go back.

Callie gathered what she could and stuffed it in her backpack, knowing they were likely to come in any second. She knew she wouldn't have time to get everything. Callie opened the door to her room and peered out through the crack. Stef and Lena were still talking to Wyatt near the stairs so she realized she wouldn't be able to go that way. Thankfully there was another way to get down. She left the room and turned right, walking quickly in the opposite direction to the other set of stairs. As she descended, she heard footsteps above her and knew it would only be a matter of seconds before Wyatt, Stef and Lena knew she was gone.

She heard her name being called as she hid behind a truck, then quickly got in front, planning to ask the driver for a ride, but the truck was empty. Damn, she thought. She looked up to see another truck in front of her and a man got in. She quickly looks above her to the room she had been in and saw Stef running down the stairs along with Lena and Wyatt.

"Callie!" Stef yelled.

As they turned around, away from her hiding place, calling her name again, Callie ran to the other truck. For just a second she stopped to take a glance at Wyatt and in that second, Wyatt turned and saw her.

"Callie!"

Shit! She knew she shouldn't have stopped, but she had had to. She didn't know if she would ever see Wyatt again and she just needed to see him one last time. Callie turned away and ran to the truck in front of her, hoping to stop the driver pulling out. She knew she probably wouldn't make it, getting away from them, but she needed to try. She didn't want to go back. She wanted to be on her own, with no one tell her what she could or couldn't do.

Her name was called once again and she heard footsteps right behind her. Just as she was about to get into the truck, she felt a hand wrapped around her arm, pulling her out. She turned and came face to face with Stef. Right behind her was Lena and Wyatt.

"Where do you think you are going?" Stef asked.


	2. Chapter One

**-CHAPTER ONE-**

Just as Callie was about to get into the truck, she felt a hand wrap around her arm, pulling her out. She turned and came face to face with Stef. Right behind her was Lena and Wyatt.

"Where do you think you're going?" Stef asked.

What was she going to do? she thought. "Look, just let me ..." Callie paused, looking at both Lena and Stef, then her gaze landed on Wyatt. "How could you?" she accused angrily. If he'd just left well enough alone. "I told you ..." she began.

"He did the right thing by calling us," Stef said, cutting Callie off.

Callie was about to say something when the truck behind her started to move; to drive off. Seeing a chance to run as they all would have to step away to let the truck by, Callie made her move, trying to escape from Stef and Lena's grasps, but didn't get far. Stef was on her before she could get to the grass area a few feet in front of her. Seconds later, Lena was next to Stef. Wyatt just stood off to the side, knowing Callie needed to be alone with her foster moms.

To think she could out run a cop, Callie thought with a sigh.

"Just let me go," Callie pleaded to Stef, her eyes starting to tear up. "You guys are better off without me."

Stef's expression softened. She took Callie's hand, holding it tight and rubbing her thumb softly in a circle.

"Honey why? Why would you think that?"

Lena put her arm around Callie's shoulders.

"Did we do something to make you leave? If we did anything to make you feel unwanted ..."

Callie just shook her head, wiping away her tears with her sleeve. Her eyes were puffy. She hated letting people see her cry.

"No. It wasn't anything you did. I just ... I'm sorry."

More tears had started to come and she put her head down, knowing she was about to break down any minute.

"Sweetie, you don't have anything to be sorry about," Stef said sadly, her heart breaking for the teen. She and Lena started leading Callie back to the room she had stayed in the night before, wanting somewhere private. Being out in the parking lot probably wasn't the best place for this kind of conversation and she could tell that Callie was ready to fall apart any minute.

Callie sniffled as she let Lena and Stef lead her back to the motel room, not fighting them. There was no way around this. No way of getting out of it. What was she going to do? What was she going to say? Should she tell about the kiss?

Everything was such a mess.

* * *

As Stef led Callie into the motel room, Lena stood outside the motel room, talking to Wyatt, trying to get him to talk to her about things Callie might have told him. Anything that would help her understand why Callie ran away, in case Callie couldn't, or if the teen shut her or Stef out. She honestly couldn't blame the girl, who had been through so much; things that she never should have had to go through.

She just needed to understand.

"I didn't know anything until she showed up," Wyatt was saying. "She was definitely going somewhere. I just thought she would be better off with me than on the streets alone."

"Why would she even leave to begin with?"

"She said things weren't working out," Wyatt answered, shaking his head. "How she was probably going to be sent to another foster home."

Lena shook her head, a puzzled frown on her face.

"What could she possibly mean by that? We just told her we wanted to adopt her."

"I don't know," Wyatt said, shrugging, trying to keep his face straight. He wasn't exactly lying. He didn't know for sure, but he had a feeling that it might have something to do with Callie's foster brother, Brandon. Maybe Jude as well. Still, was it his place to say anything about it? About Brandon and Callie?

"Are you sure?" Lena asked, dubiously.

"I'm really not sure about anything," he said awkwardly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm not much ..."

"You called me and Callie is now safely with us. Right now that is all that matters. Thank you. I just wish you would have ..."

"I know, I know," Wyatt sighed, feeling bad. He was glad he'd done the right thing. As much as he really cared and even loved Callie. He'd had doubts about calling Lena, wanting Callie to stay with him; not wanting to let her go. He knew deep down though that she needed Stef and Lena more. She needed a family. She needed to be loved; more than he could give her.

"Can I at least have a second to explain to her why I did what I did?" he asked. "Before I go?"

He knew he should have been on the road already, but he just couldn't leave without talking to Callie first. He needed to explain to Callie why he did what he did.

"I don't think it's a good idea," Lena said gently as she took a step inside the motel room to see Callie on the bed with Stef next to her.

Stef's arms were around Callie, comforting her. Callie was saying something which Lena couldn't make out, but she thought she heard the girl mention Brandon.

She turned back to Wyatt. "At least, not yet. I think some things need to be dealt with first," she added.

She looked down at her watch.

"Why don't you grab some breakfast and come back," she suggested. "By then hopefully things will be calmer."

She needed to be with Callie and Stef right now, she thought. She could hear Stef's voice rising which meant things were about to heat up.

"Okay," Wyatt replied, seeing the worried look on Lena's face. "I'll be back in a few."

Lena watched him go, then turned back to enter the room, only to find that Stef and Callie were not on the bed and Stef was leaning against the bathroom door, clearly upset.

"What happened?" Lena asked, concerned.

"She locked herself in the bathroom," Stef said sadly.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Foster's home, Mike, Brandon, Mariana, Jesus and Jude were gathered around the kitchen table, eating breakfast. Jude sat at the table, playing with his food, not talking, while conversation went on around him. Brandon's father was looking after them while Stef and Lena had gone out looking for Callie.

Jude looked at Mike, since he was the only one who knew what was going on.

"When is Callie coming back?" he asked, interrupting the conversation. He didn't know what they had been discussing but then he hadn't been paying attention. All he could think about was his sister. Mike had told him early this morning that Stef and Lena had been looking for her and had found her, but that was it.

"Hey bud ..." Mike began, reaching across the table taking Jude's hand in his, as if to give him some kind of comfort. "I know you're worried, but they found her, all right?" he continued, trying to reassure the boy that everything was going to be okay. "So you're going to go to school today and when you get home, she'll be here."

"I guess," Jude said with a shrug. He didn't want to go to school but it wasn't like he had a choice anyway. He just hoped his sister was okay and that he would see her soon.


	3. Chapter Two

**-CHAPTER TWO-**

Stef led Callie into the motel room while Lena stood outside, talking to Wyatt.

Callie sat on the end of the bed. Her stomach was in knots as she thought about having to tell Stef about the kiss between her and Brandon. How is she going to react, she thought. Was she going to be sent away to another foster home? Juvie? Or worse, a group home? What about Jude? She shivered at the thought of her brother, hoping they would at least keep him.

Stef's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"So would you please explain to me why you ran away?"

Stef moved over to the bed, sitting down next to Callie. She gently touched Callie's arm, raising her eyebrows in surprise when the girl jumped slightly at her touch, but continued on softly.

"Callie, what's wrong?"

Callie let her brown eyes meet her foster mother's blue ones for a brief second before once again averting her gaze. She shook her head and tried to sniff back the tears.

Stef reached out, lifting Callie's chin so she could see her tear-stained face.

"Please, just help me understand. Earlier you said it had nothing to do with me, or Lena. Is it about Jude or one of the other children?"

Callie nodded.

"Brandon," she mumbled, pulling her face away from Stef's hand.

Stef reached up again and ran her hand over Callie's hair, trying to ease her tension.

"Was it so bad that all you could do was run away? Why not just come to me or Lena about it?"

She stopped stroking and dropped her hand, waiting for a response.

Callie looked at Stef and sighed. "I didn't know what else to do. I was scared."

"Callie," Stef proceeded cautiously, "we don't just run away from our problems, even if we are scared. We face them, big or small. Fleeing only masks the problem," she told her softly, but sternly. "If every time a problem arises and we choose to run, we'll just be running for the rest of our lives."

Callie didn't look at her but merely replied softly: "Just promise me that you will keep Jude? If I tell you everything."

"Callie ..." Stef began.

"Please, just promise me ..." the teen interrupted her foster mother forcefully, her voice rising. She knew what Stef was saying but the last thing she wanted was a lecture right now. Callie stood up, turning around to face the older woman. "...that what I tell you won't affect Jude. That you will still adopt him, with or without me."

She began to pace nervously. All she wanted was reassurance that if, whatever the consequence was for what she did, that it didn't include her brother and they would still go through with adopting him.

Stef rubbed her temples in frustration.

"Look, sweetie ..." She paused, taking a deep breath. "I can't promise you that, Callie, because I don't know what the situation is or what happened between you and Brandon, and..."

Callie didn't let her finish.

"Then I guess I have nothing to say," she responded flatly, her voice full of pain. She had enough.

Stef watched the young girl worriedly, wanting to hug and comfort her, but afraid of pushing her even further away. She ran her hands through her hair in frustration as her thoughts began to race. Was this really just about Jude or even whatever had happened between Callie and Brandon, or was there something deeper going on with Callie?

Stef stood up from the bed.

"Callie, I can promise you that, whatever the situation is, you and Jude ..." she continued sternly, but the next thing she knew Callie had scurried into the bathroom, slamming the door closed behind her and locking it.

"Callie ..." She sighed sadly.

Stef went over to the bathroom and leaned against the door. She was about to say something else when she heard footsteps. Lena.

"What happened?" Lena asked, sounding concerned.

Stef turned and looked at her.

"She locked herself in the bathroom."

Lena studied her partner's blue eyes and furrowed her brow.

"You look like you've been through the wringer," she said.

Stef sighed again as she turned to look at the bathroom door, then back at Lena. She could hear Callie crying inside. Stef went over to her partner, taking her hand in hers for comfort that was well needed.

They stepped out of the room so Callie wouldn't be able to overhear them talking. She started to close the door, leaving it open just a crack so she would be able to hear the teen, hoping Callie would come out of the bathroom soon. Maybe us being outside would help, she thought.

She leaned up against the railing alongside Lena.

"I really don't know, Lena. She mentioned it having to do with Brandon, but she closed herself off from telling me why, since I wouldn't promise her what she was asking for," she continued.

"What was that?" Lena asked, wondering.

"That I ... we would still adopt her brother, whatever she told me."

Lena raised her eyebrows.

"Why would whatever happened between her and Brandon even affect Jude? I mean, yes, it could affect him, but not our adopting him." she responded, confused.

"I'm starting to think there's more to it than Brandon or Jude. It's like maybe old emotions from her past are resurfacing or something. But what triggered it?" Stef sighed, running a hand through her hair, mussing it up. Her expression suggested she was extremely worried about the girl.

"I think maybe you're right," Lena agreed softly.

"Did Wyatt happen to give you any info or anything?" Stef asked, wondering if anything Wyatt had told Lena would be of any help.

"Nothing that we don't already know. He wanted to talk to Callie for a second before he left, but I told him to go grab some food and come back, seeing that you and Callie were still talking. He was fine with it. He really cares a lot for her. Hopefully when he returns, maybe he would be able to help Callie open up more, especially to us."

"I hope so." Stef tone was calm, but worried. Tears began to roll slowly down her face; something that rarely happened.

Lena put a hand on Stef's shoulder, then pulled her into a tight hug, comforting her partner.

"We'll get through this," she promised. "We will. One thing's for sure, we aren't going to give up on her."


End file.
